The Storied Recipe

Imagine yourself standing in an English garden, peeking through a small kitchen window into a cozy kitchen. Once you’re close enough, you may even catch the faint strains of Bing Crosby on the radio. A small blonde boy and his sister sit at the table — a blue table, on a blue floor — a surprising color choice, but one that will later make sense when you learn you’re looking into the kitchen of an artist. The little boy and his sister are engrossed in their projects while their Nan takes a loaf out of the oven — and puts another in. Only then do you notice three loaves already cooling on the counter. The old woman says something to the little boy, and his face lights up as he proudly holds out his modeling clay project to his Nan. This little boy was Sam Harris, who grew up to mirror his Nan in some of the best ways, perhaps more than he even realizes. She owned a business; he’s a serial entrepreneur (and working now on one of my favorite podcasts — more on that later). She was an artist; he is a musician. And she had a gift for making Sam and his cousins feel seen, special, and supported. Speaking personally, I’m in a community where I get to see (and benefit from!) that same gift in Sam today — a thoughtful, humble way of encouraging others. In today’s episode, we explore all of this through a simple Pineapple Cake — “Sam’s Cake,” as his family called it. The cake was his Nan’s attempt to heal his troubles with food and to instill her old-fashioned values through nurture rather than control.  Most of all, this episode offers a new take — an inversion, if you will — on the old adage “It’s better to give than to receive.”  Sam’s Pineapple Cake tells the story of a family, their matriarch, the values she passed on, and the ways she received the gift of those values in return. Listen to Sam Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Sam's Storied Recipe: Coconut Pineapple Cake https://thestoriedrecipe.com/simple-pineapple-coconut-cake/ Listen to Sam's Latest Podcast: How to Change the World Apple Podcasts Spotify The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. Recent Episodes More Cake Recipes From Around the World

Picture a sun-drenched courtyard between two homes in Punjab where the air is thick with the aroma of cumin and simmering beans. Farmers work the adjacent fields while women move among each other, peeling onions, chopping tomatoes, and stirring a pot over open flames while sipping steaming hot cups of chai, gossiping and laughing. The children run in playful chaos, long, glossy braids bouncing on their backs as they weave around the women at work. Finally, Rajma Chawal, a hearty, spicy dish of kidney beans, is finished. The farmers return from the fields and children circle their grandmother. Together, they dive with all 5 fingers into their steaming bowls of curry. This is the scene today’s guest, Lopa, pictures so clearly when she imagines Auntie Aruna as a child back in Punjab, the home Auntie left forever as a young woman.  Lopa and Auntie Aruna didn’t meet until many decades later, when Auntie was in her 60’s. And really, she was Lopa’s landlady, not her relative.  Mind you, she was not a profitable landlady - she made no money whatsoever off Lopa, only charging her enough to cover a rise in HOA fees that she and her husband couldn’t afford. Auntie was, as Lopa says, a typical Punjabi auntie—boisterous, generous, and fiercely nurturing. She was a teacher, best friend, and grandmother to Lopa. In her Bombay kitchen, Auntie taught Lopa to cook while perched on her pillow-lined barstool directing, gossiping, laughing, just like the woman in that courtyard all those years ago.  Auntie’s Rajma Chawal has become Lopa’s signature dish. In a country with so many distinct culinary identities, this humble dish helped Lopa discover so much more than just confidence in the kitchen - it helped her develop her own voice and a sense of identity and belonging. And more even than that, Rajma Chawal takes Lopa right into the heart of Auntie’s Punjabi culture, the belief that cooking is meant to be shared. Listen to Lopa Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Lopa's Storied Recipe: Rajma Chawal https://thestoriedrecipe.com/rajmah-chawal/ Connect with Lopa Visit Lopa at her website Away in the Kitchen The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. Recent Episodes More Indian Recipes

Imagine a Tennessee dairy farm - and then there’s a cellar with a packed dirt floor and shelves made of wood, heavy with jars of home-canned produce—including the blackberry jam Judith and her sisters smothered on their mother’s famous Sally Lunn bread. Listening to Judith describe her mother, Joann, I was challenged as a hostess but especially as a mother. I DO love welcoming people into my home and I love cooking for them! Nevertheless, I often grumble when plans interrupt my day or slightly panic if I haven’t had time to prepare the abundant meals I like to serve. It’s my kid’s who see, feel, and often carry my stress, even if my guest’s don’t.  Joann, however—a farmer’s wife who gained seven dependents in the first seven years of her marriage—never seemed rushed, overwhelmed, or frustrated to Judith or her other children. Instead, day after day, she calmly built a life of humble hospitality, generous meals, and deep relationships around a table that, by Judith’s account, was never empty. Perhaps the secret to her steadiness was her view that hospitality wasn’t about entertaining or perfection—it was simply about welcoming others in. But I suspect it was more than that oft-repeated “secret” - I think it was about her true commitment to friendship. Even now, at 90, Judith’s mother carries the same purpose - to welcome and befriend others - into every new season of life. For Judith, simple Sally Lunn bread—rich, soft, and baked in a Bundt pan—holds her mother’s legacy of hospitality, of showing up, and providing comfort. Here’s Judith, reflecting on her mother and the bread that tells her story. We begin with the first time Judith’s mother encountered this now-beloved loaf... Listen to Judith Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Gallery from The Farmhouse Judith's Storied Recipe: Sally Lunn Bread https://thestoriedrecipe.com/sally-lunn-bread/ The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. Recent Episodes More Bread Recipes

Hello, I’m here on my break from my production break with an episode recorded in the heart of France. If you remember the last episode, I invited you into the conversation between myself and 4 others in the kitchen of a thousand-year-old château—a space with soaring beams, stone floors, ochre cabinets, and an open fire that made it feel like home. By the time the 5 of us women gathered for that final dinner, we already felt like old friends, bound by shared explorations and lingering conversations over wine. And that brings us to today’s episode. This conversation unfolds in a small stone house in the nearly deserted village of Champlitte, once a thriving center of the wine trade. My guests are Orane and her father, Pascal—successful vignerons committed to organic, hand-harvested, and artisanally crafted wines. As we talk, we explore the storied history of Champlitte and how this family is shaping its next chapter. A quick note before we begin: Between the echoing stone walls, the thick French accents, and my fellow guests frequently accepting gracious pours of wine, it was necessary to heavily edit this episode. To help with clarity, I’ll introduce each new topic with a brief summary—signaled by the pop of a wine cork - that way you’ll know what to listen for in the next segment. Photo Gallery Listen to Orane and Pascal Now Find Orane and Pascal's Wine Search "Coteaux de Champlitte" to find online offerings of Orane and Pascal Henriot's wines. Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player More Episodes with Food Professionals

About 100 episodes ago, I interviewed Selina Göldi - and I Introduced her episode by saying, “Selina has this special gift - the ability to transport others to a different time and place. After a career in economics, Selina took this genius and turned it into a life. Beside a river in a very old building in France, she invites those wearied with the pace of the outside world to culinary retreats. During these retreats, Selina teaches her guests to reconnect to not only the food they eat, but also the pleasure of cooking for themselves.” Fast forward to last spring, I received an email from Selina.  Since our last conversation, she had traded one old place for another - this time a castle, complete with a tower, still on an old river, and with a “fairy tale kitchen” featuring an open fireplace. She was still hosting culinary retreats, along with researching the complete history of the castle she stewards, as she worked to restore the chateau to its former glory.  In her email, she invited me to come stay at the castle, to enjoy her cooking and excellent choices of wine, to relax, create, connect, and learn, all in what she was calling a Creative Retreat with 3 other women. The only stipulation was that we all share whatever we created with each other. And today, I’m sharing a bit of our experience with you as well, by inviting you into a portion of our final dinner conversation. Imagine us sitting in a large kitchen with stone floors, a vaulted ceiling, surrounded by terra cotta colored walls and ochre cabinets, dim in the firelight. We are gathered around a large wooden table, made intimate with candlelight, enjoying a spectacular meal of Selina’s French Fish Soup with Garlic Aioli. As my friend Ale says in the first few seconds - “It tastes like a poem.” Pull up a chair and enter in to our conversation about cooking the French way, the memories the soup evokes in all of us, and the ways this enchanting castle affected all of us when we first saw it.  Stay at Selina's Castle If you find yourself falling under the spell of the castle, here’s an invitation that Selina has written for you:  Culinary immersion programmes that are time capsule journeys into 19th century life at a French country castle that were run as farming estates. Experiencing French country life with its local traditions and diving into historic recipes, we learn about the French art of eating well. It’s less about perfecting a dish and much more about a joyful and playful approach to cooking, learning about food and produce with all our senses. I invite you to four days of themed excursions, foraging or shopping at the farmers market, cooking and feasting together You’ll stay at one of the castle tower rooms in an all-inclusive experience limited to small groups with a maximum of six people. The retreats take place in June, July, August, and September with the last one in the beginning of October It’s possible to also book as a private group outside scheduled dates OR to book mini versions over weekends that give you a bit of the French approach to eating well. Mini retreats take place in June and in August. Gallery of Images from The Creative Retreat at Selina's Castle Contact Selina Email: hello@lespoissonchats.com Website: www.lespoissonchats.com Instagram: @lespoissonchats Listen to Selina Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Selina's Storied Recipe: French Fish Soup https://thestoriedrecipe.com/french-fish-soup-with-aioli-and-fresh-vegetables/ The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Episodes with Food Professionals More Seafood Recipes

Click here to schedule a feedback chat with me in February! Hello and Happy New Year! 2025 is a big year for The Storied Recipe.  For starters, I’m expanding my mission to help families create their own heritage cookbooks through a process that is doable, joyful, and even healing. Throughout a December of traveling, then returning home and jumping back into hosting, I continued to work almost every day on both researching and creating materials towards this goal. And beginning January 20th, 4 women are joining me to walk through the process of creating their dream legacy cookbook using the framework and approach that I’m developing.  In the meantime, while I’m expanding the mission of The Storied Recipe in 2025, I’m also returning to my roots and turning my attention back to the podcast.  If you’ve been following for a while, you know that I put the podcast on hold two years ago to focus on my website, turning it into a profitable food blog sharing my guest’s recipes and stories. This was a great move, as it gave me the income to hire an amazing assistant, who in turn has given me the freedom to focus on this new mission.  But the podcast has languished in the last two years. I believe it’s time to take the great concept of my podcast the delight I take in creating it and turn both of those into a polished, consistent, exciting listening and learning experience for all of my listeners in every single episode. It’s time for me to become an expert in the craft of podcasting.  Again, throughout December, I’ve been working on that also by taking a course, doing a lot of reflection - quite uncomfortable reflection, I might add - chatting with other podcasters who are farther along in their journey, and listening to shows that are providing the experience to their listeners that I want to provide to you.  And now it’s time for Phase II - to gather the most important feedback there is, which is feedback from YOU. I know a lot of you see potential in the podcast, you believe in the concept, and you even believe in me - and I want you to have you an opportunity to have a say in the direction of the show going forward. I’ve opened up a handful of slots in my February calendar to talk to listeners, and I’d love for you to be one of them. These 30 minute calls will help me get to know more about what you like about the show, what we could do more (or less) of, and how to make this the best show it can possibly be. It can also be a chance for you to ask me any questions you’ve wondered about while listening Don’t worry, I’m not trying to sell or pitch you on anything - I don’t even have anything to sell at the moment. I’m just looking to make some genuine connections with listeners of the show. If you’re open to chatting, just go to the link in the show notes or head to URL. Seriously, this is one of the most valuable things you can do to support the show. Click here to schedule a feedback chat with me in February! Or just email me at becky@thestoriedrecipe.com. Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Subscribe to The Storied Recipe Newsletter

Welcome to the second episode in our mini-series on Harvest Festivals Around the World, which I hope to add to in coming years!  Today, we speak with Chase Matthews, from the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay, Alabama. Along with Tokyo Bay in Japan, these are the only two places in the world where a natural wonder known as the Jubilee occurs. When conditions are just right, fish, crabs, shrimp, and other bottom-dwelling sea creatures rise to the water’s surface in massive numbers, offering an opportunity for easy harvest and an impromptu feast.. But what makes the Jubilee truly special isn’t just the rare days when it actually happens—there in Mobile Bay, just the anticipation of a Jubilee brings an entire community together. Chase shares stories of multiple generations gathering on piers with their fishing poles, friends rushing to the bay after a 2 a.m. phone call, and an entire community bonded by the magic of these awe-inspiring moments that we cannot control, we can only enjoy.  Chase also tells us abou the famous Jubilee Festival in Daphne Alabama, named after this event, where local artists and musicians gather and where he and his wife sell their own locally inspired spice blends. Listen to Chase Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Play House Spices Website: www.PlayHouseSpices.com PHS_SALES_Flyer2024Download The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) Harvest Festivals Around the World Read more about global Harvest Festivals! Explore Now → Thanksgiving Episodes

Welcome to the first in a pair mini-episodes on Harvest Festivals Around the World! Today, Susan Barocas teaches me about the ancient Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot, from its origins many thousands of years ago right up to this very autumn in Susan’s own backyard in Washington DC. Sukkot commemorates both the Jewish journey through the wilderness and the harvest season. Each year during this eight-day festival, Susan along with Jewish families all around the world, build and decorate sukkahs—temporary outdoor shelters inspired by those used during the Jews in ancient harvest seasons. Families gather in these sukkahs to share meals, welcome guests (both real and symbolic), and reflect on God’s provision of food, shelter, and divine peace. Susan also shares about culinary traditions tied to Sukkot, particularly her family’s recipes that came from the Iberian peninsula. Just as she did in her first episode with me, Susan reflects on how food sustained, differentiated, and at times, even betrayed the Jewish people. Listen to Susan Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Susan's Last Episode https://thestoriedrecipe.com/154-savor-a-sephardic-experience-of-food-music/ The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) Harvest Festivals Around the World Read more about global Harvest Festivals! Explore Now → Thanksgiving Episodes

Our story begins with Nick’s memories of Saturday mornings with his cousins, consuming endless stacks of Palacinke, Balkan-style pancakes eaten with cheese or sugar (or both - and don’t knock it until you try it, because I did, and then I had to eat my words. Literally!).  As we trace the makers of Palacinke back through Nick’s lineage, Nick introduces us to his great-grandmother, Baba Saveta, who lived her entire life in the craggy mountains of Montenegro.  Though they never met and only overlapped on this earth by two years, Baba Saveta’s story, character, and expertise have left an indelible mark on Nick. Baba Saveta raised five children in a home hand-built by her husband, who she married in a love match disapproved of by her wealthy family of birth, living through war, hardship, and a century of radical change.  The difference between starvation and survival was the cheese Baba Saveta made twice daily during the summer months in her little mountaintop dairy, scrubbed clean with ashes each spring. Baba Saveta’s skill with cheese has become a particular point of connection for Nick, who now works as a cheesemaker in California. In today’s episode, he shares a great deal about the fascinating process of cheesemaking, particularly from the perspective of Baba Saveta, who did so much with so little.  In moments of daily work—tending his garden, curating cheeses, folding laundry—Nick reflects on this great-grandmother he never met and what she passed on to him. Today, I join Nick in honoring Baba Saveta’s values of self-sufficiency as well as her enduring spirit, wisdom, and love - and I ask, with him, how we can carry her legacy forward.  One note about this episode! Nick’s first shared his story with Alison Kay of Ancestral Kitchen, who was just recently a podcast guest in Episode 179, What Happens After Happily Ever After? Nick submitted this through Alison’s new portal on the Ancestral Kitchen website, where she is collecting memories, documents, recipes, and stories of those who cooked ancestrally. If you have anything to add to this repository, I’m putting the link in the show notes. Thanks so much to Alison for sharing Nick’s story with me - thank you to Nick for his time and this beautiful story - and thank YOU for beig here! Listen to Nick Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Nick's Storied Recipe: Balkan Palačinke https://thestoriedrecipe.com/palacinke-balkan-crepes-pancakes/ Find Nick Campbell and Toluma Farms Website: Toluma Farms and Tomales Farmstead Creamery Address: Tomales Farmstead Creamery 5488 Middle Rd, Tomales, CA 94971 Share an Recipe, Document, or Memory of Ancestral Cooking with Alison here: The Ancestral Kitchen Repository The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) Nick's Original Tribute to Baba Saveta, Submitted to The Ancestral Kitchen Repository My great-grandmother Saveta (Sah-vet-a) was born in 1909. She had my maternal grandmother in 1943, in a house with no electricity and water that came from a well a long walk down the road. She came from a well off family, compared to most people in her region of northern Montenegro, and was the first person in our family village to have a cast iron stove and not cook over an open hearth in the middle of the room. It was purchased by her father when she ran off with my great-grandfather Bašo (Basho) to be wed. He had been a worker on her father’s farm, and they had fallen in love. Baba Saveta was the main character in most of my mother’s stories about her childhood visiting the village. She was a wonder woman. She could spin wool, weave cloth, care for and milk animals, make cheese and other dairy products, cook anything from seemingly nothing, help with butchering and put up the meat, help with the hay and grain harvests, all things my young suburban brain could barely understand a single person knowing. She is surely the reason I found interest in rural living and real food. We still make some recipes that she did. In spring, we make a spread from soured cream, mashed young cheese curds and finely sliced green onions to eat with hot bread or baked potatoes. Many of my cousins’ favorite way to eat eggs are “Baba’s eggs,” where a pan of salted cream is brought to just scalding, whole eggs are added and the whole lot is gently mixed together over the stove until an unctuous, bright yellow mass forms and is eaten piping hot with chunks of bread, preferably together taken from the pan it was cooked in. As cold weather approaches, we put smoked pork ribs to simmer, and add diced potatoes to the broth along with a roux made flour added to onions fried in lard, enlivened with bright red paprika, and plenty of soured cream to finish. Her potato soup is one of our family’s true comfort foods. My great-grandmother was apparently well known for making savory filo dough pies called pita, filled with either brined cheese and egg or cream and egg. She passed this knowledge down to my grandmother, and while my mother never really learned the art of how to make the paper-thin stretched dough by hand, I was able to convince my grandmother to show me and keep the tradition going, in spite of her wanting to show my girl cousins (all called sisters in Serbian) before showing me, though none showed interest. I like having that connection with Baba Saveta. Baba Saveta had a little dairy that served as a smokehouse in the winter, and would be scrubbed sparkling clean with ashes in spring when the cows and sheep would come back into milk and dairying would begin for the year. All of the animals would be milked in the morning and evening. The still-warm morning milk was made into full fat cheese immediately. The curd was ladled into cheeseclothes, tied up, and put between boards on sloped tables with pristinely cleaned rocks kept for years for this purposed, probably soaked through with whey and full of friendly bacteria. The resulting thin, pressed curd was sliced into pieces, heavily salted, and put into wooden buckets and barrels made by her husband and would make their own brine to age until needed. The evening milk would be scalded in a large copper kettle, and portioned out into long wooden bowls, similar to American dough troughs or biscuit bowls, hewed by my great-grandfather from logs, to sit overnight to form a thick clotted cream called kajmak (kai-mak) in most of the Balkans, but skorup (sko-roop) in our regional dialect. That could be eaten fresh, or could be salted and packed into containers like the cheese. My mother always cherished memories of Ivandan (Eevahn-dahn), St. John’s Day, on June 24th, when Baba Saveta would make daisy wreaths and put them over all the doors of the different buildings, and would serve the fresh skorup with fresh bread as a treat. This surely had pagan roots from the early Slavs settling the area, and lasted well past the conversion of the Serbs to Eastern Orthodoxy. The skim milk from the production of skorup was made into a cheese called prljo (per-ly-oh). It was a sharp tasting, lean cheese that was stored in hide bags made from carefully skinned lambs. It was a food to keep the wolf at the door at bay, something that could keep starvation away if everything else lovely was long gone from the cellar. Baba Saveta made yogurt, apparently the most sour, mouth puckering and apparently bubbly yogurt ever. Perhaps she let yeasts get into her culture. She would occasionally churn butter in a tall, narrow wooden churn, and would always clarify it. We call clarified butter maslo (mah-slo). Apparently, it was not loved by many of my living relatives as food, as it often was very aged by the time it was on the table in a meal, but Baba Saveta mostly used it in a cure heated and mixed with honey for respiratory issues, and to comb into her hair before washing it. It works wonders to clear lungs and cure coughs, and my family in Montenegro used it for Covid relief in 2020 with rapid results. Interestingly, when I've researched the combination, Indian tradition says that the pairing of ghee and honey is toxic for the body. I find it fascinating how certain cultures will coevolve and agree on some things, and find others things to be complete opposites. Baba Saveta knew where to gather wild strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, hazelnuts and various herbs for tea. Despite being an ideal spot for foraging mushrooms like chanterelles and porcini, those apparently were never brought into the house. I have heard from other people from our area of Montenegro that they were eaten so much during the war that many people shunned them after. For Slavs, people in Montenegro are often very mycophobic, gathering the mushrooms just to sell to co-ops that sell them to countries like Poland and Russia. She also knew where to get wild apples, pears and juniper. She would make “waters” from these, putting them each into different containers and covering them with water for weeks. She would add some sugar before serving, but they would most likely ferment with the wild yeasts present on the skins. I was very pleased to find a version of the juniper water called “smekra” in Sandor Katz’s book, almost the same as what I was told about our “kleka” (kleh-kah), just a different dialect’s name. The only other non-dairy ferment that I know Baba Saveta made was whole-head sour cabbage for winter. My great-grandparents bought their flour to make bread from a local mill, but they grew wheat and rye as well, plowing with oxen an

I miss you! I haven't shared an episode in 3+ weeks, BUT!! I've been working hard on something..... I'm expanding the mission of The Storied Recipe to not only share the recipes and stories of my guests, but to empower YOU to chronicle your own family storied recipes. And I've made enough progress that now I'm seeking feedback! Have you ever compiled a family cookbook? Would you consider compiling a family cookbook? If you answered YES to either question, would you be willing to jump on a 20 minute Zoom call with me? Click here to schedule a 20 minute Zoom call! Or just email me at becky@thestoriedrecipe.com. Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Subscribe to The Storied Recipe Newsletter

I’m joined today by Brian Reisinger, an journalist whose deep roots in farming have shaped his life’s mission. Brian is the first male in four generations not to take over his family’s farm, a role taken up by his willing sister. Instead, Brian has devoted his work to shedding light on the immense challenges modern-day farmers face. In his book, Land Rich Cash Poor: My Family's Hope and the Untold Story of the Disappearing American Farmer, Brian shares personal stories of the pressures farm families endure, the generational struggles they face, and the devastating losses that occur when farms are forced to close. In a country where 85% of dairy farms have disappeared in the last 50 years, food prices are rising, and supply chain issues are increasingly strained to the point of breaking, we can no longer look away, thinking of farms only as a nostalgic bit of Americana. As Brian says, as farms disappear, we’re not just losing food sources—we’re losing a part of ourselves. So what is to be done about this? After reading Brian’s beautifully written book, which his family agreed should include the breadth of the farming experiences - including the harsh and painful parts - I can say with certainty that Brian, his family, and the larger community of farmers are the best people - the ONLY people - who should answer this question.  From where I sit, Brian’s family is the definition of a functional family. Through their unflinching honesty with each other, courage in making decisions that are the best rather than the most popular, and unwavering support of one another, they exemplify the strength that comes from unity and honesty. It’s these qualities that make Brian and his family uniquely trustworthy guides in navigating the complex problems facing American farmers today. If we can learn to work together with the same transparency, respect, and commitment that they have shown, we can begin to solve these issues not just as individual communities but as a nation. Quotes: There are so many times throughout our history that we’ve made bad decisions for farmers that we didn’t have to make because we felt we were on different sides of a fence.  Almost every American has an image of what a farm is supposed to be… and some live up to that and some don’t. We face hard truths about farms in America, but we try to take from that, where can we come together. It’s not a real finicky meat; it’s not too easy to mess up. When you come from a place where sons do as their fathers did, and you’re the 4th generation, there’s a pressure on you, even if your dad is supportive of you doing something else. No matter how much distance built between, we always shared hunting and a love of being close to the land. The stoic farm family IS a thing, but its far more complex than that. We were very lucky, in my dad, to have a man who could work all day in the wind and the rain, and then still hold a child with a tenderness you couldn’t believe. I asked my family for permission to share the good and the bad, the happy and the sad… because if we want people to believe in what we do, they have to see the depths of the struggle. I have tried to make my work be worthy of what my family does. I think farming is the most noble profession. Anyone who thinks they have a (political) view that solves every problem will meet their match when it comes to farm policy. Farms have so much support on both sides of the aisle, but there is often such a lack of understanding about the problems facing us. What are you doing to give farmers new opportunities? During Covid, you had farmers trying to sell their product and consumers trying to buy it, but the supply chain was locked up. But what we need to do about that is… If you lose your farm, you lose your home, your community, and your heritage. When you see your herd, it’s like a death in the family. And each generation of the farm family asks, “How can we make it?” There is a generational pressure that builds with each turning of the page. As we lose farms, our food prices do rise quicker than other prices. We are getting to the point that our food supply is in danger. When farms are struggling so much, innovation slows because they’re just trying to survive.  We’re losing the farms that feed us but we’re also losing a part of ourselves. Highlights What is venison? All the tips for cooking it! Brian’s masterful job of presenting the farming dilemma without any political leanings Brian’s family’s struggle to remain close, honest, and transparent, in the face of terrible hardship and difficult decisions Adoption, identity, and finding his place on the farm. Platform communications and helping organizations message. What is a commodity and why should farmers move away from it? The way forward for America's farms Farming, mental health, and suicide Listen to Brian Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Brian's Storied Recipe: Ultimate Venison Burgers https://thestoriedrecipe.com/ultimate-venison-burgers-deer-burger/ Land Rich, Cash Poor: My Family's Hope and the Untold Story of the Disappearing American Farmer Shop at Amazon The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Interviews with Authors More Classic American Recipes

I’m thrilled to welcome Dr. Mennat-Allah Al Dorry to The Storied Recipe Podcast today. Menna, as she insisted I call her, is an archaeobotanist with a speciality in food and Egyptologist with a speciality in Coptology and the only person in the world to have this combination of qualifications.  If you’re like me, who had never heard of an archaeobotanist before coming across Menna’s @eatlikeanegyptian account on Instagram, I’ve got good news. Menna is also a professor, so she answers all of my basic questions with clarity and good humor.   Dr. Al Dorry begins by sharing a cherished family recipe – a layered dish of potatoes, tomatoes, and meat, slow-cooked to perfection in a clay pot, just as her father used to prepare it with Menna’s help on weekend mornings at their farm in the north of Egypt.  From there, we delve into her fascinating work with “ecofacts”, exploring how - and which - ancient foods have been preserved for thousands of years. Dr. Al Dorry discusses the role of food in daily life for ancient Egyptians and the complex identity of Egyptian cuisine today, why their food traditions are disappearing, and Dr. Al Dorry’s deep commitment to both unearthing Egypt’s ancient food heritage and preserving today’s. Highlights “Dee-Nee-Vo” - Her father's one pot meat, potato, and tomato dish renowned among their social circle. What is an archaeobotanist? How are ecofacts preserved? Decorative bread preserved for over 3500 years Why do people say there is no such thing as Egyptian cuisine? Halloumi cheese dating back to the 4th century AD Plants that were grown in Ancient Egypt that are still grown today The intersection of Egyptology and Coptology. Quotes The idea of putting meat and vegetables into a clay pot is the basis of our cuisine. I don’t work with artifacts; I work with ecofacts. In Ancient Egypt, we have a lot of food stuffs preserved in tombs. [In the tombs] we have full heads of garlic perfectly preserved smelling exactly as garlic should. Food was preserved in the dung which was burned for fuel and then became stable, like charcoal. Unfortunately, a lot of Egyptians have lost sight of their food heritage.  The variety we got once from the countryside, people have forgotten it. In the big city, you will find always the same 10-15 dishes, many of which have a very recent history. Most things from my father’s generation will be lost… and this is why it's important to document. I can’t freeze time but I have to document as much as I can. The word Coptic itself can mean different things and has meant different things at different times in Egyptian history.  I don’t want to talk about kings or Egyptian politics, I just want to talk about everyday people. Listen to Dr. El-Dorry Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Menna's Storied Recipe: One Pot Potato Tomato Dish with Meat https://thestoriedrecipe.com/one-pot-egyptian-potato-tomato-dish Follow Dr. Mennat-Allah El Dorry Instagram: @eatlikeanegyptian The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Episodes with Guests of Middle Eastern Heritage More Middle Eastern Recipes

Welcome BACK today to Alison Kay, one of the co-hosts of the Ancestral Kitchen Podcast, who’s here so we can announce a collaboration that I’ll get to in just one minute. 🙂 I learned today that before Alison was the leader of a community intentionally choosing to procure and prepare food in ancestral ways, she was a life coach… And nothing has ever made more sense than that discovery. Indeed, in our last episode together, we heard how Alison has gently but resolutely smashed one goal after another in her life, beginning with completely altering her health and body through her relationship with food. We wrapped up our last episode with Alison as she lived her happily ever after as an ex-pat in Italy, cooking spelt sourdough pizza for her husband and child while looking through an enormous picture window at the rolling sunlit hills as far as the eye can see. But we pick up this episode with Alison, back in the UK, living at her mother-in-law’s house. And here is where Alison proves her fitness for her former career as a life coach. She describes for us today how she lovingly, gently, and still ever so resolutely opened her hands to let go of her own dreams, welcome the dreams of others, and found she had all new dreams of her own, even bigger and better than before.  We talk today about so many of the big things of life - change, love, dreams, and lovingly and supporting our partners through deep conflicting life philosophies. Finally, Alison will invite you to share your own ancestral food stories through a new portal on her website. As you’ll hear, Alison feels an urgency to gather, curate, and protect the agricultural and culinary wisdom of our foremothers and forefathers.  I feel a similar urgency, as I know that, beyond the practical wisdom for our kitchens, every story she collects will contain lessons of love and resilience. So, while Alison curates this repository of practical knowledge, she will also pass along the information of willing participants (and only willing participants, there are strict privacy laws in the UK) to me, so I might explore and share these legacies with you as well.  With that in mind, I invite you to visit the link to the Ancestral Kitchen website, listed in the show notes - or just go to Ancestral Eatingpodcast.com and you’ll find your way around - see what she’s looking for, and perhaps submit a little (or a long) snippet for her community. Highlights Leaving Italy - when, why? Signing up for communal living with a complete stranger (who is having a baby!)! - What, How, Why!! The very unique town of Stroud of Gloucestershire. Anatomy of making a huge decision together as a family Small business ownership in Italy - why it’s almost impossible and how history has shaped this difficulty How to make a marriage work between two creatives with wildly different approaches to work and creativity: “done is better than perfect” vs. “I can’t put out sub-par work.” How to let go of the identity of being different - of being an outsider. A REFRESH: Ancestral eating - what it means A collaboration between Alison and I, to record and explore the different aspects of our listener’s food stories Key Quotes There was a lot of loss leaving Italy and leaving that dream behind, but a lot of other dreams have come to the fore. Having this available as an option… and then meeting the lady and seeing the house… and seeing all of my concerns fall away. Everything I was worried about just kind of dissolved while I was there. You know there will be challenges, but they feel like challenges I would like to grow into, challenges that will make me a better person. He only started saying he wasn’t happy last than a year ago. We were paying 50% in tax from the first penny we earned and we weren’t allowed to claim any write-offs. I remember looking at them and just thinking, “I am so in love with these two”, and just feeling SO vulnerable. As it became clear that Rob wasn’t happy to be in Italy, I began to feel - if he wasn’t happy, then I wasn’t happy. We don’t want a dream to escape from reality - we want to reshape our reality The most I actualize the things I want to do, the more I let go of things. It’s almost like I’ve always worn a badge saying, “I do things differently.” I miss in person friendship and I sabotage it sometimes by always insisting I’m different. I have no culinary history and I feel a loss and it's part of the reason I’m doing the work I do. Throughout history, this has been passed on from mother to daughter and I can feel this is missing in my life…. And where it still exists, it is a beautiful thing and should be cherished. Listen to Alison Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Alison's Storied Recipe: Spelt Sourdough Pizza Dough https://thestoriedrecipe.com/sourdough-spelt-pizza-dough/ Visit Alison at The Ancestral Kitchen Podcast www.AncestralKitchenPodcast.com Share YOUR Ancestral Stories with Alison here! The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Episodes with Food Professionals More Bread Recipes

In this episode, I’m joined by Neil Hudson, Co-founder of Scotch Boyz, a brand that’s brought authentic Jamaican flavors to the mainstream American market - and far beyond, as well.  I initially liked this story of 4 childhood friends coming together to build an international business, all while pouring back into the communities that raised them and Jamaican farms that produce their ingredients. I mean, what’s not to love about that story!? But just a little ways into our conversation, I grew to like and respect Neil for his own thoughtful insights into business and working with friends, his obvious interest in others, and his understated sense of humor. We begin by discussing, Curry Goat, a dish not only ubiquitous across Jamaica but also the signature dish made at The Hummingbird, a restaurant owned and operated by Neil’s father. I’m very grateful to Neil and his father for sharing this famous recipe with us, as well as to Neil for the many tips and history lessons he provided about other famous Jamaican dishes, like Jerk and White Rum.  As the interview goes on, Neil opens up about their branding strategy, the innovative and thoughtful business strategies they’ve used to create strong partnerships with Jamaican farms and buy-in from employees, and finally he shares the fun and exciting story of the HUGE win that allowed their small business to “escape gravity” and skyrocket into the global brand they are now. Neil Hudson, My guest on The Storied Recipe Podcast All 4 Founders of Scotch Boyz Highlights “Nine night” a send-off party after a funeral, where you must have White Rum, Goat Soup, Curry Goat, and White Rice The story of jerk - runaway slaves who made a treaty with the British… Pimento = Allspice; a discussion Best sources for goat in the U.S. Tips for making the best jerk around (hint: includes an air fryer!) The story of the 4 founders of Scotch Boyz - and what each brings to the company How the Scotch Bonnet Pepper got its name! The branding, strategy, and positioning to get Jamaican products into the mainstream aisle next to household condiment brands How the Jamaican community benefits from the growth of Scotch Boyz Neil’s profit-sharing approach to Scotch Boyz and how he arrived at that approach.  The farms and farmers who source the Scotch Boyz ingredients Winning the Next Black Millionaire Award and how Scotch Boyz “escaped gravity” with the 100,000 award Maintaining friendship in a business Listen to Neil Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Neil's Storied Recipe: Jamaican Goat Curry https://thestoriedrecipe.com/jamaican-curry-goat/ The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Episodes with Guests of Caribbean Heritage More Soups, Stew, and Curries Recipes

Today’s guests came to my very favorite way - they were recommended by a listener!  Megan responded to one of my weekly newsletters, writing,  There is a couple at my church, Jah and Frances, from Liberia, who are an inspiration.  They are so hospitable and care well for their family...their house always is full of people..  Additionally, their house is a revolving door...they care for elderly relatives, young relatives and basically anyone who needs help.  Once a year they sell food to raise money for a school in Liberia. When they cook for the fundraiser, Jah mans his smoker through the night. Frances has a "famous" potato salad.   In today’s episode, Frances and Jah shared their love story with us, a great deal about the history of Liberia, including a civil war 30 years ago, that decimated the country, and they hope they find in supporting the Betty Memorial Institute, a boarding school in one of the poorest regions of the country. Here’s what they have to say about the school:  Currently BMI has more than 200 students and is served by 17 staff members who work tirelessly to provide an education, food and housing in one of the poorest counties in Liberia. The Betty Memorial Institute (BMI) is the only grade school in Western Liberia that provides both Academic and Vocational Education between the ninth and 12th grades.  You’ll hear the inspiring story of how this school was started and what it’s accomplished, as well as details about the 3 day cook-a-thon Frances and Jah commit to every December to raise money for the school. And, of course, you’ll hear details about Frances’s famous potato salad. And while many claim to the best, and I’ve tried a LOT of potato salad recipes, this one was unanimously voted by all 6 members of my family to be the best they’ve ever had.  Welcome again to Frances and Jah. Thank you to Megan for recommending them! If YOU’D like to recommend anyone for the podcast, I’d love to hear from you at becky @ thestoriedrecipe.com. And finally, thank you for being here to hear Frances and Jah’s wholesome, uplifting story!!!! Highlights Their 46 year love story Childhood in Rabblesport, Liberia Liberia: A history lesson The Military Coup in 1981 and civil war 10 years later: Why it happend and what it did Jah’s school experience and why it made him passionate about supporting  The incredible story of the family who started a boarding school in Liberia The Scholarship in Frances’s mother’s name A car accident that changed Frances’ life The 3 day cook-a-thon to raise money for this boarding school 50 chickens, 50 racks of ribs, 200 servings of potato salad, and so much more. How they do it, what they’ve learned to outsource Frances’s Famous potato salad! The jobs and the keys to flavor!! Success stories from the school Listen to Frances and Jah Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Jah and Frances's Storied Recipe: Liberian Potato Salad https://thestoriedrecipe.com/famous-potato-salad-recipe-the-best/ Learn More about the Betty Memorial Institute and How to Support More about The Betty Memorial Institute Place an order from The Betty Memorial Institute Annual BBQ! The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help! Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here! This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you! The Storied Recipe Print Shop Where every print tells a story. High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately. The Storied Recipe Newsletter The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!) More Episodes with Guests of African Heritage More Potato Recipes